CHAPTER IV.

The Houyhnhnms’ notion of truth and falsehood. The author’s discourse

disapproved by his master. The author gives a more particular account

of himself, and the accidents of his voyage.

My master heard me with great appearances of uneasiness in his

countenance; because _doubting_, or not believing, are so little known

in this country, that the inhabitants cannot tell how to behave

themselves under such circumstances. And I remember, in frequent

discourses with my master concerning the nature of manhood in other

parts of the world, having occasion to talk of _lying_ and _false

representation_, it was with much difficulty that he comprehended what

I meant, although he had otherwise a most acute judgment. For he argued

thus: “that the use of speech was to make us understand one another,

and to receive information of facts; now, if any one _said the thing

which was not_, these ends were defeated, because I cannot properly be

said to understand him; and I am so far from receiving information,

that he leaves me worse than in ignorance; for I am led to believe a

thing black, when it is white, and short, when it is long.” And these

were all the notions he had concerning that faculty of _lying_, so

perfectly well understood, and so universally practised, among human

creatures.

To return from this digression. When I asserted that the _Yahoos_ were

the only governing animals in my country, which my master said was

altogether past his conception, he desired to know, “whether we had

_Houyhnhnms_ among us, and what was their employment?” I told him, “we

had great numbers; that in summer they grazed in the fields, and in

winter were kept in houses with hay and oats, where _Yahoo_ servants

were employed to rub their skins smooth, comb their manes, pick their

feet, serve them with food, and make their beds.” “I understand you

well,” said my master: “it is now very plain, from all you have spoken,

that whatever share of reason the _Yahoos_ pretend to, the _Houyhnhnms_

are your masters; I heartily wish our _Yahoos_ would be so tractable.”

I begged “his honour would please to excuse me from proceeding any

further, because I was very certain that the account he expected from

me would be highly displeasing.” But he insisted in commanding me to

let him know the best and the worst. I told him “he should be obeyed.”

I owned “that the _Houyhnhnms_ among us, whom we called horses, were

the most generous and comely animals we had; that they excelled in

strength and swiftness; and when they belonged to persons of quality,

were employed in travelling, racing, or drawing chariots; they were

treated with much kindness and care, till they fell into diseases, or

became foundered in the feet; but then they were sold, and used to all

kind of drudgery till they died; after which their skins were stripped,

and sold for what they were worth, and their bodies left to be devoured

by dogs and birds of prey. But the common race of horses had not so

good fortune, being kept by farmers and carriers, and other mean

people, who put them to greater labour, and fed them worse.” I

described, as well as I could, our way of riding; the shape and use of

a bridle, a saddle, a spur, and a whip; of harness and wheels. I added,

“that we fastened plates of a certain hard substance, called iron, at

the bottom of their feet, to preserve their hoofs from being broken by

the stony ways, on which we often travelled.”

My master, after some expressions of great indignation, wondered “how

we dared to venture upon a _Houyhnhnm’s_ back; for he was sure, that

the weakest servant in his house would be able to shake off the

strongest _Yahoo_; or by lying down and rolling on his back, squeeze

the brute to death.” I answered “that our horses were trained up, from

three or four years old, to the several uses we intended them for; that

if any of them proved intolerably vicious, they were employed for

carriages; that they were severely beaten, while they were young, for

any mischievous tricks; that the males, designed for the common use of

riding or draught, were generally castrated about two years after their

birth, to take down their spirits, and make them more tame and gentle;

that they were indeed sensible of rewards and punishments; but his

honour would please to consider, that they had not the least tincture

of reason, any more than the _Yahoos_ in this country.”

It put me to the pains of many circumlocutions, to give my master a

right idea of what I spoke; for their language does not abound in

variety of words, because their wants and passions are fewer than among

us. But it is impossible to express his noble resentment at our savage

treatment of the _Houyhnhnm_ race; particularly after I had explained

the manner and use of castrating horses among us, to hinder them from

propagating their kind, and to render them more servile. He said, “if

it were possible there could be any country where _Yahoos_ alone were

endued with reason, they certainly must be the governing animal;

because reason in time will always prevail against brutal strength.

But, considering the frame of our bodies, and especially of mine, he

thought no creature of equal bulk was so ill-contrived for employing

that reason in the common offices of life;” whereupon he desired to

know “whether those among whom I lived resembled me, or the _Yahoos_ of

his country?” I assured him, “that I was as well shaped as most of my

age; but the younger, and the females, were much more soft and tender,

and the skins of the latter generally as white as milk.” He said, “I

differed indeed from other _Yahoos_, being much more cleanly, and not

altogether so deformed; but, in point of real advantage, he thought I

differed for the worse: that my nails were of no use either to my fore

or hinder feet; as to my forefeet, he could not properly call them by

that name, for he never observed me to walk upon them; that they were

too soft to bear the ground; that I generally went with them uncovered;

neither was the covering I sometimes wore on them of the same shape, or

so strong as that on my feet behind: that I could not walk with any

security, for if either of my hinder feet slipped, I must inevitably

fall.” He then began to find fault with other parts of my body: “the

flatness of my face, the prominence of my nose, my eyes placed directly

in front, so that I could not look on either side without turning my

head: that I was not able to feed myself, without lifting one of my

forefeet to my mouth: and therefore nature had placed those joints to

answer that necessity. He knew not what could be the use of those

several clefts and divisions in my feet behind; that these were too

soft to bear the hardness and sharpness of stones, without a covering

made from the skin of some other brute; that my whole body wanted a

fence against heat and cold, which I was forced to put on and off every

day, with tediousness and trouble: and lastly, that he observed every

animal in this country naturally to abhor the _Yahoos_, whom the weaker

avoided, and the stronger drove from them. So that, supposing us to

have the gift of reason, he could not see how it were possible to cure

that natural antipathy, which every creature discovered against us; nor

consequently how we could tame and render them serviceable. However, he

would,” as he said, “debate the matter no farther, because he was more

desirous to know my own story, the country where I was born, and the

several actions and events of my life, before I came hither.”

I assured him, “how extremely desirous I was that he should be

satisfied on every point; but I doubted much, whether it would be

possible for me to explain myself on several subjects, whereof his

honour could have no conception; because I saw nothing in his country

to which I could resemble them; that, however, I would do my best, and

strive to express myself by similitudes, humbly desiring his assistance

when I wanted proper words;” which he was pleased to promise me.

I said, “my birth was of honest parents, in an island called England;

which was remote from his country, as many days’ journey as the

strongest of his honour’s servants could travel in the annual course of

the sun; that I was bred a surgeon, whose trade it is to cure wounds

and hurts in the body, gotten by accident or violence; that my country

was governed by a female man, whom we called queen; that I left it to

get riches, whereby I might maintain myself and family, when I should

return; that, in my last voyage, I was commander of the ship, and had

about fifty _Yahoos_ under me, many of which died at sea, and I was

forced to supply them by others picked out from several nations; that

our ship was twice in danger of being sunk, the first time by a great

storm, and the second by striking against a rock.” Here my master

interposed, by asking me, “how I could persuade strangers, out of

different countries, to venture with me, after the losses I had

sustained, and the hazards I had run?” I said, “they were fellows of

desperate fortunes, forced to fly from the places of their birth on

account of their poverty or their crimes. Some were undone by lawsuits;

others spent all they had in drinking, whoring, and gaming; others fled

for treason; many for murder, theft, poisoning, robbery, perjury,

forgery, coining false money, for committing rapes, or sodomy; for

flying from their colours, or deserting to the enemy; and most of them

had broken prison; none of these durst return to their native

countries, for fear of being hanged, or of starving in a jail; and

therefore they were under the necessity of seeking a livelihood in

other places.”

During this discourse, my master was pleased to interrupt me several

times. I had made use of many circumlocutions in describing to him the

nature of the several crimes for which most of our crew had been forced

to fly their country. This labour took up several days’ conversation,

before he was able to comprehend me. He was wholly at a loss to know

what could be the use or necessity of practising those vices. To clear

up which, I endeavoured to give some ideas of the desire of power and

riches; of the terrible effects of lust, intemperance, malice, and

envy. All this I was forced to define and describe by putting cases and

making suppositions. After which, like one whose imagination was struck

with something never seen or heard of before, he would lift up his eyes

with amazement and indignation. Power, government, war, law,

punishment, and a thousand other things, had no terms wherein that

language could express them, which made the difficulty almost

insuperable, to give my master any conception of what I meant. But

being of an excellent understanding, much improved by contemplation and

converse, he at last arrived at a competent knowledge of what human

nature, in our parts of the world, is capable to perform, and desired I

would give him some particular account of that land which we call

Europe, but especially of my own country.